Toronto Women’s Half Marathon

No matter how little sleep I got or how many doubts floated through my mind this morning, I said what will be shall be and I forged on ahead!

This was another one of life’s great experiences and I was going to embrace it with open arms! You only live once (YOLO!).

Oddly enough, I ended up raising almost the same amount of money for the Canadian Cancer Society as I did last year, so I wore the same tank top that I made last year for my 1st race ever (a 10k). Every time I felt like giving up, I thought about all of the money that we raised for such a great cause. I knew I couldn’t quit!

Eric and I headed out just before 6am this morning. We had just under 1 hour’s drive to the race site. We got to the race super early (over 1 hour early!) so we had lots of time to kill. It was actually kind of nice to be early for once, because for my 1st two half marathons we were caught in bad traffic and almost late. It was nice to be relaxed. The race experience is also much better for the spectator when they don’t have to listen to you panic! :biggrin:

I don’t know what I would do without Eric’s support at my races! He always calms my nerves. [Side note– I can’t believe we are doing the try-a-tri next weekend. GAH.]

Then I met the lovely Sarah, who traveled all the way from New York, and we chatted away until just before the start.

It was the perfect temperature outside- around 17C/63F, however the sun was quite hot and it heated up fast. Luckily this half marathon was run on a trail in Sunnybrook Park and had lots of shade.

I also met some other ladies, but we didn’t get pictures together! Nothing like meeting blog readers in the porta potty line! :biggrin: I was hoping an all women’s race would mean better smelling porta potties, but no such luck! :sick:

Sarah and I were in the 1st corral, which was an expected finishing time of under 2 hours. It was Sarah’s 1st half marathon and I was really excited for her!!

Sarah and I said our final goodbyes!

It’s all fun and games until mile 2!!! :lol:

We were off!

I think I saw more Lululemon clothing items in one place than I ever have in my life!

Eric said, ‘Come back in one piece, OK?’

The course:

The course consisted of 3 loops. Because of the loops I got to see my friends during the race which was really fun! I saw Sarah, Hilary, and Vanessa along the way! It is always nice seeing a familiar face when you are needing a lift.

Mile 1: was awesome like it always is! Mile 1 is always the easiest. I have loads of energy and it is pure excitement for the race ahead. Sarah and I chatted during this mile and then we lost each other and I was running solo. The start was very quick since we were near the front and there wasn’t much of a lag at all. It only took me about 6 seconds to cross the start line.

Mile 1 time = 8:24

Hill climb = 66 feet

Mile 2: I don’t know what happened, but I was fighting back tears during mile 2. I was feeling very overwhelmed about how many miles I had ahead of me. I also felt under-trained and my groin started to twinge and feel really tight. My head was not in the game and I was a bit scared.

Mile 2 time = 8:00

Hill Climb = 104 feet

Mile 3: Mile 3 dragged on and on. I couldn’t believe that I had to do 3 more ‘3 mile runs’ – plus a mile! I thought back to my previous half marathons and I think I found that the first several miles were among the most difficult. I have a tendency to defeat myself in my mind before I even get there. I start thinking, ‘Oh my gosh it is only mile 3 and I have 10 miles to run, how will I ever do it?’.

Mile 3 time = 8:18

Hill climb = 121 feet

Mile 4: Mile 4 was pretty uneventful except for the fact that I had some strange man approach me on a bike taking a picture, what looked like, to be of me. I thought to myself, ‘Oh he must be just taking a picture of a lady behind me.’ and I didn’t think much of it. I had other things on my mind!

Mile 4 time = 8:22

Hill climb = 88 feet

Mile 5: This was the mile when I knew without a doubt that it was the right choice to bring my Camelbak. The water stations weren’t very frequent (well, to me anyways!) and I definitely needed the extra water. It was so nice to be able to take a sip whenever I wanted to. I still stopped at every water station and fueled up on Gatorade. I looooooove Gatorade during a race! It makes my heart go pitter-patter when I taste it. :heart:

Mile 5 time = 8:31

Hill climb = 146 feet

Mile 6: My 10k time was (unofficially): 51 minutes. I was very happy with this time, but not happy about the fact that I had to run more than twice the distance before I was done! Mile 6 also began a series of short hills over the next few miles. I knew that my pace was slowly starting to get slower over the past few miles and I wondered if I would be able to keep my pace or not.

Mile 6 time = 8:38

Hill climb = 192 feet

Mile 7: I saw the SAME creepy guy on his bike near me taking another picture!!! I started to freak out a bit, but I convinced myself that he was taking a picture of someone else behind me. While I loved this course in Sunnybrook Park, I did not like the fact that it was open to the public. There were a few questionable men watching this all women’s race from park benches.

Mile 7 time = 8:51

Hill climb = 174

Mile 8: You are stronger than you think, you are stronger than you know. Over and over and over. I wanted to cry. I have such a love/hate relationship with half marathons. One mile I love it and the next mile I hate it. I pushed myself with every ounce of strength I had in me, but I knew I still had 5 miles to go.

Mile 8 time = 8:53

Hill climb = 167 feet

Mile 9: This mile was the toughest in terms of the mini hill climbs. I was cursing under my breath every time I saw a hill approaching. The course was coined a ‘FLAT course’ and while it was an easier course than my two half marathons last fall, it still had some challenging hills in it. Luckily I had a lot of training on hills so my pace didn’t slow down much.

Mile 9 time = 9:04

Hill climb = 209 feet

Mile 10: I could not believe this but the guy on the bike RETURNED somehow and he was right beside me taking a picture of me with his cell phone! So creeped out at this point. He was literally 3 feet beside me on his bike holding up his camera on his cell phone. This time there was no doubt in my mind that he was taking a picture of me. I was super creeped out and I made a beeline to the closest man who was working for the race and I told him about the man on the bike. He seemed quite concerned as was I. Hopefully they kicked him off the course! It really upset me and it kind of threw me off my game for a while.

Mile 10 time = 8:44

Hill climb = 136 feet

Mile 11: This was a great mile. I felt my strength return and I was sooooo happy I only had 2 miles and a bit to go! Rest was near! The volunteers, while all amazing, were especially amazing near the end. They kept saying encouraging things like, ‘WOW you are doing so great only a few k’s to go!’. I thanked each and every one of them.

Mile 11 time = 8:36

Hill climb = 158 feet

Mile 12: Just like in my previous two half marathons, mile 12 (and 13) were the HARDEST of the entire race. Running is such a mental sport and I find that I kind of lose my marbles during the last mile. It seems to drag on and on and I stopped frequently to walk. I kept telling myself over and over, ‘Just keep going you can walk when you are crossed the finish line!’ and it helped a bit, but I still struggled quite a bit. I knew I was so close to setting a new PR and pushing just a bit harder could be the deciding factor.

Mile 12 time = 9:11

Hill climb = 166 feet

Mile 13: Was this really my LAST mile?! I saw the chocolate station and I almost hurled. I seriously could not fathom the thought of eating a chocolate bar at that time! No one was taking the chocolate at all. There is something wrong about that picture too- women in a women’s race refusing chocolate! It’s a crime, I know. I think that just goes to show how determined we were to finish!

I repeated my mantra ‘You are so much stronger than you think. You are so much stronger than you know.’ I had to stop and walk quite a bit during this last mile and I thought it would never end…

Mile 13 time = 9:01

Hill Climb = 130 feet

Mile 13-13.1(13.3?): My Garmin told me that the course was actually 0.2 miles over because my watch read 13.3 miles when I crossed the finish line, and not 13.1 miles. I thought I only had 0.1 miles to go and it turned out to be 0.3 miles which is a big difference when you are pushing your max 110%. I must not have been running a ‘straight’ path.

Regardless, I rounded the turn and I saw all of the people lined up and I said, ‘THIS IS IT ANGE, RUN LIKE HELL!’

The crowd was awesome and gave me all the motivation I needed to run as fast as I possibly could! I started to sprint fast and the crowd cheered loudly. My speed got around a 6 minute mile. There were no other women around me so I felt like this was my moment.

It was probably my strongest finishes of all 3 of my half marathons. In my last half marathon, I struggled BIG time in the last 500 metres, but for this race I crossed the finish line flying at top speed! There is no better feeling.

I thought to myself, ‘Oh you are going to feel this tomorrow!’

Race stats:

Distance: 13.1 miles (Garmin read 13.3 miles)

Chip time: 1 hour 55 mins. 10 secs. (New PR)

Placed 16th out of 105 women in my age group

Placed 111 overall out of 1129 women in the race

Avg heart rate: 173 bpm

Max heart rate: 182 bpm (in the last few hundred metres)

Shortly after crossing the finish line…

I saw Eric and he came running over! He was so excited and he kept saying YOU DID IT! Nothing is better than when you think someone truly *gets* how hard it was and how much you pushed yourself to your limits.

WOOT!!! I am so proud of you! Thanks for sharing how you were feeling the whole time. I think it’s important to talk about those miles when you think that you can’t do it..and how you did..cause we all go through that. :)

It’s nice to hear your reflections from each mile. It’s a great reminder that even great athletes (YOU!) aren’t just lah-dee-dah-ing through ya know? Congrats on a great time despite undertraining and your recent injury! You rock!

So glad you were able to overcome that obstacle at mile 2, but wtf–weirdo/creepy dude with the camera. Talk about distraction!! I am glad you told someone.
Anyway, YOU ROCK!!
Do you have a marathon planned in the future?

Thanks for your idea of emailing the director. I did that last night after I read your comment and I told them about my experience and that I hoped we could talk about ways to make the course more safe for women. I can’t wait to see their reply.

Congrats!! i feel like the 1st 4 miles of a 1/2 marathon are the worst. your garmin probably reads longer b/c of weaving around people and not running in a perfectly straight line along the course. happens to me a lot too.

Congratulations! Reading the mile to mile recap makes it seem like half marathons are really trying both mentally and physically but I’m sure the feeling of accomplishment at the end is totally worth it. Sorry about that weird guy… New PR yay!

Okay, I’m not going to lie, I may have teared up reading this! lol! It may have something to do with the fact that I’ll be running my race next weekend, but mostly because you are so awesome and inspiring!!!! It’s so nice to know that we all struggle with the mental aspect of races and you did an amazing job pushing through it. And a new PR on top of that! I’ll be thinking of you when the going gets tough during my marathon. Goooodd job!!!! Boo to creepy men, ugh.

Love your blog!!! Great job on your half marathon today! Way to push through. I may be stealing your “You are stronger than you think, you are stronger than you know.” for my marathon next week. My mind is my biggest obstacle. Thanks for the inspiration!

LOVE IT! Congrats and especially on the new PR!!! I’ve been wanting to do that race for a while so it’s good to know that you’re giving it a good review! My friend was also there today doing the 5k!

I totally understand about the open/closed race thing. I normally run through Taylor Creek Park on Sundays but this morning I opted out because I knew you guys would be racing down there. A few weeks back I went for a run down there not knowing an MS walk was going on and it was hell for me! I felt like a fish swimming upstream! So I definitely made sure to hit another area today as I didn’t want to crowd the path!

Yes you should! It sells out fast too, so you might want to check out if you can sign up for email notification on their website for the next race announcement. I might do the 5km next year to change it up.

Aw, big congrats! Your recount of the race made my cry, I’m so happy for you! I trained for a half this year, but 2/3 of the way through training I had to stop; I’m just not a good runner and it was frustrating me. You are such an inspiration!!

This post brought a tear to my eye! I am so proud of you! I am new to running and am working up to a 5K so this is so inspiring to me. It’s also nice to hear what’s going through your head because it often seems like people who run half marathons just do it without much struggle.

The extra mileage happens to pretty much everyone…they have to make the course so that the shortest possible route measures 13.1 miles. So most end up going at least 0.1 or 0.2 more even if there isn’t a lot of weaving. Unless you run the tangents perfectly, you go longer. Hard to time your final kick- which is why I really love the races that have the countdowns at the end! The 750m, 500m, 250m and my favourite- the 100m to go signs are a great thing.

Amazing! I just love race recaps…however that creeper would have totally thrown me off as well. The medal is so cool. I’ve never seen anything like that. So excited that you pushed through and made a PR. Congrats!!! During my 1 and only half-mar, I hated mile 7-8 and 10…luckily my family was parked at mile 8, at the top of a HUGE hill and right at mile 13 Chris was waiting for me snapping photos til I crossed the finish line. Can’t wait to run another!

Congratulations on the PR – that is so great!! LOVE the finisher’s medal too!! You’re quite a bit faster than I am, but I also find the last 1-2 miles the absolute hardest in the half. They seem to go on forever!

Great job!! I ran the Ottawa Half today despite the fact that I was injured (my physio told me that I could run it, but that I shouldn’t race it). All week they were forecasting awful weather but somehow we got lucky and it was only 17 degrees. On our long drive back (not such a great idea when everyone’s sore and stiff from running!), we bumped into this lady who also ran the race and told us that her girlfriend ran the Toronto Half today and said it was her worst race ever because it was so hot. :(

I’m so glad you didn’t have that experience, and even managed to pull off a new PR!

Another great post Angela! I love reading your race recaps, especially what you are thinking at each mile. So far, I’m up to a 5k, and I go through the same mental games!!
I’m glad there was lots of shade for you today – it was such a hot day! Too bad about the creep – how nasty!!! :(
Anyways, you are an inspiration, and I’m going to slowly work my way up to running 10k – Wish me luck!!!!

Congratulations! Like everyone else – I loved the mile-by-mile updates! Someday I may do one myself, but for now I prefer living vicariously through you!
The picture-snatcher did give me goosebumps! I probably would’ve grabbed the phone OR stuck my arm straight out and stopped and tried to clothes-line him, keep those options in mind next time!! ;)

Wow! You’re so inspiring!!! What is it about race reports that make me tear up? I can’t believe how awesome you did, especially considering the challenges you faced (creepers and pain twinges). You totally rock! I can’t wait to sign up for my next half, but I don’t know where I’ll be moving in the next several months :-( Eric is such a doll. He totally reminds me of my hubby at races. Its so great to have someone there to run to when you finish! Rest up & take care!!

Angela, this post was incredibly inspiring to me.
I was supposed to run a half marathon this April, but I badly injured my hip and had to drop out. Ever since then I’ve been feeling pretty down about it. I had pretty much given up on ever running over 1 mile again, but this really gave me the push I need to get back into my physical therapy and training and really try for a half marathon this fall!

Wow, major congrats to you on finishing, and keeping your times up the whole way! I am a new reader of your blog as well as a new runner and you are such a huge inspiration to me. I love your mile by mile breakdown, its great to get an inside peek into a half marathon…. way to go girl, you’re awesome!

WTG Angela! I ran my first half in Edmonton in Aug of ’09 and am going to start training for the vegas half this December. Hope you had lots of fun! I trained with the running room so I ran most of my race doing the 10 and 1’s the first 10K were awesome then there was it seemed like there was a blurr and then the last 3 K were really hard, It helped that I had an awesome run partner that ran the same pace as me…I am finding it daunting to train be myself, but I think it will give me some awesome inner strength :) Keep up the fantabulous blog! I read it all the time!

I have only ever run alone by myself (with Eric occasionally on a bike) and yes I must say it is challenging mentally. All you have is yourself to talk to and if the thoughts are negative, that can be tough to dismiss. That is why I am a very big ‘happy runner’ and I will talk about that more today!

Congratulations!! Do you know that you have inspired me to do a 1/2 marathon? ME?!? A gal who hated running 2 years ago and never thought in a million years she would ever run a 9 mile event (with hills) let alone sign up for a 1/2 marathon.
I have signed up for the San Jose Rock n Roll Marathon (it is part of the Rock n Roll series here in the States). The event is in October so I have more than enough time.
Am I crazy?!? yes
Do I know I can do it?!? Definitely.

I might have to buy some of your glo bars to help with refueling during my trainings.

Congrats on the race! Every time I read about someone doing a race it makes ME want to get out there and do one. Soon! That guy on the bike sounds like a total creep.. I would have wanted to push him off the bike that probably would have gained me a permanent stalker.

haha well we haven’t gotten back the ‘during the race’ pictures and in some of those I often have a very mad look on my face! LOL. I also think that happiness radiates outward, so if you have a fun time it shows!

ahh congratulations! what a great accomplishment! sorry about the creepy guy — that’s really unnerving. i totally agree with you about closing the trail to the public. it prevents not only creepy guys but just awkward run ins in general. your inner monologue sounds exactly like mine, too! haha :)

I don’t find it annoying…the only thing that happens occasionally is mild chafing around the straps…but I should have used body glide and forgot. I honestly can’t believe I went so long without water on my runs! I LOVE it and would suggest it to anyone.

Congratulations Angela!!! That’s great that you set a new PR!!! I know what you mean about a love-hate relationship with half marathons. When I was doing the Toronto Scotiabank marathon last September, I think I was around the 30km mark and I had to fight pretty hard not to cry, but after I got around it mentally it was ok. Again, awesome job!!!! You should be so proud of yourself :)

Congratulations girl! Eric must be so proud :D you’re easily the most photogenic runner I know , haha, I can’t get over how pretty you look even after almost two hours of running!
I’m so sorry about the creepy guy who obviously thought the same thing :( People like that are horrible.

Congratulations on a great race and a new PR!! That’s amazing! …especially after not much sleep and feeling unsure about your training. The things our bodies are capable of never ceases to amaze me. :)

Loved reading your mile by mile recap and I’m so impressed with how much you pushed even when things got really tough! Hope you’re getting lots of much needed R&R today!!

Oh…and that medal is amazing! I want to run next year just so for that medal! ;)

Wow, Angela! You should be SO proud of yourself! Not only did you beat your PR, you also stayed motivated after that creepy guy kept taking pictures of you – something I think would have made a lot of us freak out and lose our cool!

Take good care of yourself today and know that you’re a motivation to us all :)

Awesome job, Angela! Running is such a mental game, and you did great! I love your mantra, and found myself saying it to myself during an especially hard run on Saturday.

Have you ever watched the movie Run, Fat Boy, Run??? It is a hilarious take on a man training for and running a marathon after being inactive for a long time. He definitely goes through some mental struggles that make you laugh b/c you know exactly how he feels!

CONGRATS! That’s so amazing – YOU’RE so amazing! I’m still early on in training to run 5k, so this is a wonderful glimpse for me – hopefully someday I’ll be planning to run a half :-)
A question for you… my Mum wants to give me a pair of Careglide sneakers (she bought them for herself but her dr wants her to get a different kind), but they are leather. I told her to hold off until I looked into whether there are good non-leather shoes. Do you use “vegan” running shoes?

YOU are so inspiring!!! I can not even fathom a 1/2 marathon. I have only competed in 5k’s (and 1 4-miler competitive walking), and every single time it feels like the longest stretch of my life. WAY TO GO!

Aw I loved this post, Ange! Way to really push yourself and give it all you’ve got. Question: how in the world do you remember your thoughts and feelings for each mile? I feel like they would all run together for me! (I don’t do races, so maybe there’s something I don’t understand???)

Good question! Normally I would NOT remember such things, but since I know in advance I will be writing about the experience I try my best to remember each mile. I look at my watch and note when the next mile is approaching. I also find that having the Garmin has helped ‘remember’ the race because it tells me where the hills were and my speeds and I can usually piece things together. If all else fails I look at the race map!

I was out of town, so am just now getting to read this. What a great experience…minus the creepy guy. I’m surprised they had the course open to the public, even with it being a park. Especially open to people on bikes. That just seems more dangerous. I hope they take care of it next year. Congrats!!!!

Yayy Congratulations on finishing the half marathon and literally, FLYING through the finish line. It was so exciting to see your sprinting picture i even felt my heart skip a beat just reading your recap. hahaha You should be SO proud of yourself. I’m still er…halfway through training for a half marathon and 8 miles is the furthest i’ve ever gone. To be honest, i attempted 9.5 miles and failed due to cramping at 5 miles…i haven’t attempted it ever since. I would call myself traumatized. *sigh* It’s stories like yours that give me enough courage to re-attempt those long distances. Thank you Ange!!! :)

P.s. I’m so sorry you were followed by a creeper. I hope he at least spurred you on to run faster than normal though…Hopefully the race folks made sure he didn’t do more damage.

Congratulations! I have to say, I really don’t envy you running a half maraton – the thought of my first 10k is filling me with fear (Also, was just reading the story of your first 10k and its given me a much needed boost – I’ve been out of training because of an injury for the last month and a half so it’s super encouraging to read how awesomely you did in your first 10k despite injury time too!) Hope you’re enjoying some good post run rest :)

Oh, and I forgot to mention, that creepy guy would have totally p*ssed me off and thrown me off my run. I’m a bit aggressive when threatened so I would have been tempted to push him off the bike and break his phone.

Angela!! You are amaziiiiiing. Running IS such a mental battle and you totally pushed through! Nothing, nothing, nothing is harder than getting over those neg. mental thoughts, but you did it AND you raced to a PR! I absolutely admire your strength! Sorry about the creepy guy, I wonder if he was harassing any other ladies :(

Hey Nicole, I’m so sorry, but I don’t remember as the race was about 6 years ago. My memory must have blocked it out…haha! I would check the race’s website as they usually provide course info. Good luck!